1. Field of Invention
The invention relates in general to the digital data processing field. More particularly, the invention relates to a mechanism for intelligently routing calls and creating a supporting two-way personalized and dynamic web-based computer interface.
2. Background Art
In the latter half of the twentieth century, there began a phenomenon known as the information revolution. While the information revolution is a historical development broader in scope than any one event or machine, no single device has come to represent the information revolution more than the digital electronic computer. The development of computer systems has surely been a revolution. Each year, computer systems grow faster, store more data, and provide more applications to their users.
A modern computer system typically comprises at least one central processing unit (CPU) and supporting hardware, such as communications buses and memory, necessary to store, retrieve and transfer information. It also includes hardware necessary to communicate with the outside world, such as input/output controllers or storage controllers, and devices attached thereto such as keyboards, monitors, tape drives, disk drives, communication lines coupled to a network, etc. The CPU or CPUs are the heart of the system. They execute the instructions which comprise a computer program and direct the operation of the other system components.
The overall speed of a computer system is typically improved by increasing parallelism, and specifically, by employing multiple CPUs (also referred to as processors). The modest cost of individual processors packaged on integrated circuit chips has made multiprocessor systems practical, although such multiple processors add more layers of complexity to a system.
From the standpoint of the computer's hardware, most systems operate in fundamentally the same manner. Processors are capable of performing very simple operations, such as arithmetic, logical comparisons, and movement of data from one location to another. But each operation is performed very quickly. Sophisticated software at multiple levels directs a computer to perform massive numbers of these simple operations, enabling the computer to perform complex tasks. What is perceived by the user as a new or improved capability of a computer system is made possible by performing essentially the same set of very simple operations, using software having enhanced function, along with faster hardware.
As computer systems grow faster, store more data, and provide more applications to their users, convergence with other fields such as telephony becomes inevitable. While the basic unit of information exchange in telephony—a telephone conversation—has not changed, the technology we use to place telephone calls, however, has evolved (and continues to evolve) rapidly. Examples of convergence include interactive telephone systems, generally known as Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems, as well as computer systems and telephony devices enabled with Voice-Over-Internet (VoIP) telephony.
IVR systems have achieved very broad use in businesses and particularly in telephone-based services. A user phoning into such a system receives a computer-generated voice prompt and responds with voice inputs or by pressing an appropriate key or keys of the telephone. Pressing the telephone key or keys generates standard Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals, which are received by the IVR. The user input can lead to additional voice prompts and responses, continuing until the IVR has received all of the information it is programmed to solicit.
Anyone who has interacted with IVRs of this sort is aware of their shortcomings and the frustration that they can cause. Generally, at each stage of the interaction, the user must listen to an entire menu of choices. The process is time-consuming and requires that the user remember which key will invoke the desired choice. Because of the limitations of this interactive model, the user must navigate linearly from one stage to the next in a rigid, pre-programmed branching structure. There is generally no choice but to return to the beginning if it turns out that the user has chosen the wrong branch at some stage. Verification of the user's input is proved by time-consuming voice playback. The user can generally correct errors, when they occur, only by repeating the entire erroneous entry.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,560,320 B1, entitled “ADAPTABLE SUBSCRIBER UNIT FOR INTERACTIVE TELEPHONE APPLICATIONS”, issued on May 6, 2003 to Paleiov et al., and assigned to IBM Corporation, discloses a method for telephonic communication that addresses some of the shortcomings of IVRs. The Paleiov et al. patent discloses a protocol that defines a relation between predetermined graphic elements and respective sequences of DTMF signals. A screen to be displayed on a telephone subscriber unit is designed to include one or more of the graphical elements. An encoded representation of the screen is then generated using DTMF signals in accordance with the protocol. The encoded representation is transmitted over a telephone line to the telephone subscriber unit, whereby the one or more graphic elements are displayed by the subscriber unit responsive to the encoded representation of the screen. While the Paleiov et al. patent addresses some of the shortcomings of IVRs, other shortcomings of current telephone applications are not addressed. For example, the customer's call is not necessarily routed to an appropriate Customer Care Agent (CCA). Moreover, the CCA to whom the call is routed is provided with a conventional screen that is rigid and pre-programmed, i.e., not responsive to the input at the subscriber unit. The telephonic communication method disclosed in the Paleiov et al. patent, like other current telephone applications, does not allow the users (e.g., the customer and the CCA) to quickly transfer files or input text information that can be viewed and interacted with by a person or system at the other end of the call.
Therefore, a need exists for an enhanced mechanism for routing calls and creating a supporting computer interface.